The West Wing characters: Joey Lucas (and Kenny!)
“You say that these numbers mean dial it down. I say they mean dial it up. You haven’t gotten through. There are people you haven’t persuaded yet. These numbers mean dial it up. Otherwise you’re like the French radical, watching the crowd run by and saying, ‘There go my people. I must find out where they’re going so I can lead them.’”

From Take This Sabbath Day, Joey was feisty and funny and brilliant - most of which was recognised immediately by Josh (despite his sensitive system) and the President. When we were reunited with the character in 20 Hours in LA, I found myself willing Josh and Joey together despite Donna, which says a lot for the chemistry and talents of Marlee and Brad, to be honest. I think I could have quite happily settled in to the JL/JL pairing (that would have meant neither needed their towels re-sewn). I admire Joey a lot as a character; she’s fearless. I wish she had been a regular, because every time she came back, those were great episodes.

My favourite performance and scene featuring Joey is in The Fall’s Gonna Kill You, when Josh signs ‘MS’ to her and asks her to come up with a way to poll the reaction to the President’s MS without having anyone realize the questions they’re answering. There’s a complexity to the way Marlee acts, and given that she is stripped of a huge part of the communication process, it’s unbelievable the fluidity of the scenes she’s in. Credit also must be given to Kenny. As well as intense emotional moments, Joey also has a hilarious banter with Josh (and some of the other characters too) as seen in episodes like The War at Home, 100,000 Airplanes and The Benign Prerogative (one of my favourite moments is the pregnancy reveal). There is also the tenderness of Mandatory Minimums, in which Josh reveals the story of his Joey Lucas suit (not his regular Tuesday suit).

She’s just a fantastic character, with a great rapport with the ensemble. You can tell that every time she returns, they’re like ‘YAY JOEY’. And damn, the girl’s got sass! I mean, the women on this show are like a congregation of the biggest HBICs in all the land!

The West Wing characters: Abbey Bartlet
“When did I stop being ‘Dr.’ Bartlet? When in the campaign did I decide that women were going to like me more if I called myself ‘Mrs’?”

There’s a phrase, that behind every great man is a great woman. I really don’t think Jed Bartlet is in any position to argue. Furthermore, I’ll coin my own phrase that behind every great West Wing character is a great actor. Stockard Channing’s Abbey Bartlet is no exception. Within an already finely honed ensemble, Abbey fits perfectly. She’s got all the chops to go toe-to-toe with Jed, which I think is really important when there are so many characters that are decidedly subordinate to the President. Abbey is just as witty, charismatic, commanding and vocal as her husband. They are equals, in every sense I think.

The storylines that explore the Bartlet marriage are really well-constructed. I’m talking with regard to both the conflict and the playful banters they share. Season four is home to a few notable moments, including “Who’s your commander-in-chief?” (Process Stories) and the cutting of the tie (Game On). Most of all though, the way that Martin and Stockard play their matured, unbreakable bond when it comes to the President’s MS is really beautiful and emotional television. One of my favourite moments comes at the end of Abu El Banat when the First Lady asks if the President’s position on euthanasia has changed. It’s the uniquely enduring relationship of The West Wing, providing the romantic backdrop to the political issues that are the show’s focus throughout. I just adore every scene of the two of them.

Besides her relationship with the President, other really great Abbey dynamics are those with Josh, Leo, Amy, Oliver Babbish and CJ. Despite how little screentime those might actually equate to, they are full and layered relationships that provide just another compelling aspect to this show. You got to have a certain something to be a great First Lady, and I just think Abbey Bartlet wrote the book on that.

The West Wing characters: Amy Gardner
“The First Lady just asked me to get boozy with her. You don’t think I want to write a book one day?”

Possibly the most contentious character on my list, Amy is certainly one to divide opinion. While some might say that her soul is as black as her feet, I actually think that Amy commands respect for her unparalleled focus in achieving whatever her latest political goal is. Obviously sometimes I get frustrated with her, as she cuts phone lines and throws cell phones in stews, displaying an utter inability to do anything close to compromise, but she is a great character. I also don’t think she’s quite the devil woman that fan fiction would have you believe. I always have far more pleasant associations with Amy - like, balloon animals and Van Morrison. I would argue that she might just be the strongest, most resilient character on the show - surviving numerous setbacks and firings to still be standing strong and bossing the new President about at the very end of the series. She’s witty, sexy and a formidable opponent in any political debate - it’s easy to see how Josh got to be so bewitched and ensorcelled.

There is never a moment when I have felt that Amy doesn’t at least deserve the right to be heard. She speaks for women’s issues and is largely a personification of the feminist force that the White House will have encountered with any democratic party in charge. That’s why I think it would be idiotic to dislike her for Donna-related reasons. She was never malicious to Donna, I don’t believe. But Donna was always an unwilling third member of the Josh/Amy relationship, and neither woman could be expected to be happy about that. Josh is only person who ever messed Donna around romantically, in my opinion. I love Donna, she’s my favourite. But, most of the time, what Amy’s fighting for is beneficial to Donna. To all women, for that matter. Marriage incentives? What kind of mad government could think that the best way to improve the American family is to incentivise marriage?! I’m with you there, girlfriend. So, I guess my love for Amy is the opposite to my love for Ainsley in that - I agree with her politics most of the time, but usually not her method.

That being said, I will personally pay for a pedicure out of my own money. And the way her mouth doesn’t move when she talks is disconcerting. Perhaps if things don’t work out in politics for her, she could have a ventriloquist act.

The West Wing characters: Danny Concannon
“I enjoy movies, I enjoy music, I’m not wild about ice-skating, but what the hell, I’ll do it.”

The most whipped man in America, Danny is pretty darn loveable as CJ’s favourite reporter. Whether it’s the adoption of Gail the goldfish in The Short List, or his festive return in season four, I adore the lighthearted tone of Danny’s character. Despite the fact that he represents the media, and provides the communication between the White House and the public, he’s a very fair character. I noticed when going through caps for the above edit that he spends most of his time looking very adoringly at CJ. He also has a really nice soft-spoken voice, and I never get tired of him saying “Okey-dokey” or “What’s going on?!”

I know there are biiiig CJ/ Toby shippers out there, but Danny really loved CJ. It’s adorable. I came to realise how canon all of my ships are when, after about five episodes I said to my friend, “I love Danny and CJ; are they gonna get together?” I gave up on the cause during Danny’s little hiatus, but alas - my ship prevailed! Plus, I didn’t want Gail to be from a broken home. He always understood that he was destined to be Mr CJ Cregg, and I think his acceptance of that was admirable. He didn’t really care, as long as he was with CJ. I think he was just about the opposite, romantically, to all the other male characters on the show - putting himself out there repeatedly. He so far and above has the best declaration-y lines. While I would have rather heard certain lines of his from Josh to Donna (that boy is so frustrating sometimes), I do love hearing them said to CJ. And the Internal Displacement ones were written by Brad, so that makes them dreamier.

My one complaint is that we didn’t get to see more of his bromance with Josh. I seriously think that needed to be explored more. It was so good in Celestial Navigation, and again in their shared cockblock moment in Requiem.

The West Wing characters: Ellie Bartlet
“I don’t know how to make you happy, dad. For that you’ve got to talk to Zoey or Liz.”

While my inclusion of the Bartlet’s middle daughter might be surprising, Ellie was always my favourite of the Bartlet children. Her debut episode, Ellie, is one of my favourite episodes of the show’s run. It explores a far more complex father-daughter relationship than ever we’ve seen before on the show. It’s not uncommon for me to be weeping by the end of this particular episode. What I like about it is that Ellie is never unlikeable for being the daughter who calls him out on his parenting. She’s soft and warm, and I found her instantly sympathetic. By the end of the series, I actually thought that the bond between Jed and Ellie had so naturally matured in a way, that they shared a bond much deeper than that with Zoey or Liz.

She’s intelligent, compassionate and never uses her position to throw her weight around. Even when she does, in Ellie, make a decidedly underhand play to undermine her father’s position, it comes from a place of principle and not a personal cry for attention. I found that final scene in Ellie, where Jed says, “The only thing you ever had to do to make me happy was come home at the end of the day”, so beautifully played by both actors. It felt right that their relationship developed as it did during the kidnapping, contrasting the initial understanding that Ellie was her mother’s daughter and Zoey, her father’s. Ellie stands by him. And I think that speaks for her nature, and the view she holds of Jed, more balanced than anyone else during that time. She goes on to prove her competency and strength in Eppur Si Muove.

The season seven storyline for Ellie was an enjoyable end chapter, for me. She was always such a minor character but I felt incredibly invested in her well being, and her development. I enjoy that over the course of the series we saw the depth of her bond with Jed develop, she got to truly make her parents proud (Eppur Si Muove), and she found personal contentment within her own family - the luckiest in love of the three sisters, for sure.

The West Wing characters: Leo McGarry
“This guy’s walkin’ down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can’t get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, “Hey you! Can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole, and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, “Father, I’m down in this hole; can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. “Hey, Joe, it’s me. Can ya help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are ya stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.” As long as I got a job, you got a job, you understand?”

Firstly, I must pull myself together long enough to articulate my feelings about Leo Thomas McGarry. What a guy. I can’t imagine Leo played by any other person but John Spencer. He was the backbone of the show, managing the emotions of the President while keeping the staff in check, even in the most dramatic of circumstances. His relationships with the President, Josh and Margaret were my personal favourites, exploring the depths of John Spencer’s talents week in, week out. One of my favourite moments, within the very Leo-centric episode Bartlet For America, is when he very quietly utters “I love him so much” in reference to Jed. It just runs so deep, with Jed and Leo. Years of watching John and Martin play off each other so beautifully is the very reason that the Election Day scene in which CJ informs the President that Leo is dead is absolutely devastating.

I have managed to compartmentalize the show a little bit, so as to not be overwhelmed by melancholy when trying to appreciate Leo’s humorous moments. Whether it’s total crackpot day or Leo versus Lord John Marbury, he’s forever wonderful. There are so many dialogues I could pick to exemplify the reasons why Leo is my hero as much as Josh’s, but none more than the above quote. From talking about his alcohol addiction to Ainsley Hayes or Paris Gellar, or time after time proving his loyalty to President Bartlet, Leo is a pillar of strength - to everyone. I’m not astrological, but never have I been more proud to be a Leo than while watching McGarry do his thing. It always reminds me of the lion in The Wizard of Oz. I think of his walk down the yellow brick road as his path to sobriety, and his path to Jed Bartlet’s campaign. From that point, Leo is utterly filled with courage - to overcome the countless challenges laid before him.

He’s the best. And, so much of the greatness in the other characters through the series can be attributed to their having known him. Thanks, boss.

The West Wing characters: Ainsley Hayes
“It’s humiliating. A new amendment we vote on declaring that I am equal under the law to a man, I am mortified to discover there’s reason to believe I wasn’t before. I am a citizen of this country, I am not a special subset in need of your protection. I do not have to have my rights handed down to me by a bunch of old, white, men. The same Article 14 that protects you, protects me, and I went to law school just to make sure.”

Of all the non-regulars, I think Ainsley must be just about the cream of the crop. Everybody loves Ainsley, no? For a character with barely more than ten episodes in the entire series, Ainsley Hayes certainly made her mark in this White House. The Republican among Democrats, the woman among men, Ainsley was the flaxen-haired, feisty Southerner who provided a welcome conflict in the healthy staff discussions, of which there were plenty.

Of all the female characters within the show, while Donna and CJ were feminist forces characteristically, Ainsley was the most direct in her empowerment of the sisterhood. In 17 People we see her render Sam speechless over the equal rights amendment, to which she is opposed. My favourite moment, however, is in response to what we might now regard as “slut shaming”. When one of the staffers, Celia, suggests that Ainsley willingly lets her sexuality diminish her power, Ainsley confronts Celia with lipstick feminism. She argues that “nonsense issues distract attention away from real issues”, undermining honest-to-God sexual harassment, and that it is perfectly acceptable that she enjoys being teased by the boys, and being “on the team”. She is such a force, with such autonomy and confidence, that I can’t do anything but adore her.

While I don’t agree with all of her politics, Ainsley had such an enjoyable energy that I loved every second of her on-screen. I only wish that we could have seen her relationships with characters including Sam, Donna, Leo and Josh develop a little more. She provided such an interesting, alternative angle in a lot of the discussions; it would have been wonderful to see more of that!

The West Wing characters: Charlie Young
“I don’t think you can reasonably ask someone to control who they fall in love with.”

I think that quote is reason enough as to why Charlie is one of my West Wing favourites. I never thought, when Dule first appeared in A Proportional Response, that several seasons later I would be weeping over his relationship with the President as they said something of a farewell. Similarly to Janel really, Dule was, I believe, the one to give Charlie the complexity, the charm and the warmth that he had. I think it’s hard not to love Charlie, and his loyal bond to the President. A bond that is never stronger than in Twenty Five, when Zoey is missing, and Charlie refuses to be aide to anyone but President Bartlet. The admiration, the deep-rooted respect, the devotion that Charlie Young has to his President is utterly beautiful.

I would argue that Charlie is one of the most moral characters. I think he often has the most human reactions to the dramatic events surrounding the ensemble, including many of the news items that the staff are forced to deal with. I will never forget the gut-wrenching moment in Inauguration Part I, when he asks Josh what he means by the term, “sleeping in each other’s houses”. I distinctly remember feeling that my own reaction was one that Charlie shared in.

Lest we also forget how hilarious some of Charlie’s dialogue was! I mean, there’s a certain charming arrogance to some of Dule’s deliveries that I can’t help but assume he picked up from Martin and Brad. A perfect example is “I’m personal aide to the President, so my supervisor’s a little busy right now looking for a back door to this place to shove you out of. But I’ll let him know you’d like to lodge a complaint.” Just, how can you not adore Charlie? He’s like everyone’s little brother. And in my mind, it won’t be too long (in Sorkinverse) until Charlie has his own campaign for President. How do you like them apples, Jean Paul?!

The West Wing characters: Margaret Hooper
“Red meat has been found to cause cancer in white rats. Maraschino cherries have been found to cause cancer in white rats. Cellular phones have been found to cause cancer in white rats. Has anyone examined the possibility that cancer might be hereditary in white rats?”

Her name alone fills me with joy, as I hear the voice of John Spencer calling. The bond between Margaret and Leo is yet another element of The West Wing that I couldn’t bear to be without. While Donna and Josh explore the sexual tension approach to the boss-assistant relationship, Margaret and Leo serve as an offbeat, comic relief even in some of the show’s darkest hours. Namely, in the aftermath of the Rosslyn shooting when Margaret offers her services in the form of forgery and a coup d’etat. Even when Leo’s not getting frustrated by Margaret or, often as the case may be, vice versa, there is a perfectly compelling bond between the two of them, with as much loyalty as you’ll find anywhere within the show. It’s a perfectly formed relationship, without falsehood or miscommunication. I feel that both characters have an enormous amount of love for one another, and that bond of mutual respect translates to the screen.

While we never got to know too much about Margaret outside of the White House, although I like to think she had a slightly Benedick/Beatrice romance during Bartlet’s presidency that she kept under wraps, I think she always came to the table as a fully-formed character. She was a formidable force. I think that it’s impressive, that Sorkin could have created so many characters on the assistant level that were just as brilliantly crafted as the senior staff. In my mind, Margaret would have been the only person for the assistant position to Josh under Santos’ government. I like to think that’s what happened, anyway. Quirky, with brilliant comedic timing, NiCole Robinson shined so bright every time she was on screen and I whole-heartedly adore her and the character she brought life to. There could never have been enough Margaret moments, many of which made me confuse this show for a gosh darn comedy!

The West Wing characters: Toby Ziegler
“At a time when the public is rightly concerned about the impact of sex and violence on TV, this administration is going to protect The Muppets!”

My feelings about Toby are probably the most complicated of any of the characters, if not simply because Toby himself is the most complicated. I would argue that while Donna went on to thrive in the aftermath of Sorkin’s departure, Toby became significantly weaker. Both Sorkin and Schiff created Toby with the art of subtlety. I think on a superficial level, Toby is “sad”. But, I think that in the latter years of the series, the complexity of his personality is lessened to merely that. I would argue that, while he has a very melancholic presence, his intellect, his acerbic wit and his loyalty come to endear him to viewers as the first season progresses and the character develops. He was always incredibly well served with dialogue that made him one of the most compelling characters in a debate situation.

I really rooted for Toby. Richard’s approach was so different to any of the other performances within the cast, in that every detail was there but it was precise and intricate. His humor and happier moments are just as reserved as his sadness, and they are distinguished from each other in fine ways. I just adore Toby, in the way that Richard performs him. He provided the eldest brother dynamic to Josh, CJ, Sam and Will. He was so determined in his political views, to a point past anyone else, I believe. He held strong. I guess, that’s the reason I dismiss the leak storyline, because I don’t believe it to be in his nature. He was always so loyal - to the President, to CJ, to Josh, to Sam, to Leo. I found myself incredibly upset when Toby reacted to what he viewed as acts of disloyalty (by Josh in season 6 with the Santos campaign, and Will’s departure to work for the VP). I think that was always what cut the deepest with Toby: a matter of loyalty. I guess that’s why what would usually be funny, a fight between two grown men, actually came off as really upsetting when it came to the fallout with Josh.

In the early seasons, though, Toby wasn’t as dark and morose as he might appear on first glance. He joined in with the White House silliness - Shibboleth, In This White House (“Ginger, get the popcorn!”) and watching The Jackal in Six Meetings Before Lunch all come to mind. I also loved the playful dynamic he had with CJ (Somebody’s Going to Emergency, Somebody’s Going to Jail, In The Shadow of Two Gunmen Part 2) that provided a healthy contrast to his natural disposition most of the time.